Immediately after his acquisition from the Brooklyn Nets via a sign-and-trade involving Kevin Durant last offseason, D’Angelo Russell looked like a strained fit with the Golden State Warriors.
Trade rumors inevitably followed, and last Thursday on trade deadline day he was sent to the Minnesota Timberwolves with two other players for Andrew Wiggins and two draft picks.
The Timberwolves had been interested in Russell going back to last summer, and they hope to pair him with Karl-Anthony Towns for years to come.
The Warriors could have waited until the offseason to trade Russell, but they decided to make the move when it was on the table at the deadline and they got an extra first-round pick as they look to reload down the road.
Here are three reasons Russell was just not the right fit in Golden State.